The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has stated that they will write to Baka City to explain why they used only ten players during an official match.

Sulom’s sentiments follow the drama that unfolded when Baka City, a team from Malawi’s northern region, decided to field only 10 players when they visited Creck Sporting on Saturday.

Baka did not make a single substitution throughout the match. Out of the ten players, two were goalkeepers. The other custodian previously played as a midfielder.

Sulom’s vice general secretary, Donnex Chilunga, told BolaNews in Malawi this morning that it was shocking to see the team fielding fewer players and unable to make substitutions throughout the match.

“This is an elite league; some decisions affect the status of the league if not properly done,” he said. “I heard of it, but we have asked them to make a statement to justify what happened.”

Chilonga clarified that playing with 10 players is permissible under the game’s 2023/24 laws, which prohibit teams with fewer than seven players from starting or continuing.

“If a team has fewer than seven players because one or more players has deliberately left the field of play, the referee is not obliged to stop play and the advantage may be played, but the match must not resume after the ball has gone out of play if a team does not have the minimum number of seven players,” reads part of the law.

Why did Baka use ten players?

When asked what caused the team to play with fewer players, Chilonga said it was claimed that some of the club’s players did not report for training, so they used those who were available.

“The team had registered 30 players,” he said. “But after the first round, we were told that some of the players were not reporting for training. They needed to deregister their names and bring others from their reverse team, which took time.

“Of course this is what I have heard, but we are waiting for them to explain,” said Chilonga.

The team’s coach, Kondwani Mwalweni, declined to comment. He was unable to speak with the media immediately after the match.

Baka is at the bottom of the standings, with only one win in 16 games and seven points.

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